Editor 's note : Bishop T.D. Jakes is founder and senior pastor of The Potter 's House of Dallas , Texas , a multiracial , nondenominational church with more than 50 outreach ministries .

Bishop T.D. Jakes says the church must sound the alarm to wake America from its slumber .

-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The blood-washed church for which Jesus died is not relegated to one group or another , nor is it held hostage by politics or ethnicity . It is a breathing , living testament to God 's love and grace . It serves its community where it is located and is aware of the needs and nuances of that community . However , its relevance and vision must go beyond its community and reach the world for which Christ died .

Today as the church moves from its introspective posture to a broader role in politics , business , media and impacting societal ills , it has the dubious and daunting task of doing so without losing its core function . Like all such organizations that cease to be intrinsically focused , it runs the risk of being totally misunderstood and misaligned .

I have listened and watched the events of the last few days with great disappointment as the church and the so-called African-American church , in particular , has been painted rather negatively with a broad , wide-ranging brush . I personally wish the distinctions of the church by ethnicity would one day become an antiquated idea . But this will require more people moving from a segregated worship experience . Until then , the church is becoming increasingly bruised by those who seek to move it from its core principles and make it an instrument of division rather than a catalyst for unity !

To say the current picture in the media of the institution that I have loved all of my life is less than flattering would be an understatement . And because I know that many Americans unfortunately do not venture outside of the comfort of their own groups for worship , the only understanding some will have of who we are is based largely on sound bites and media portrayals . I want to set the record straight !

I am afraid that once again our churches will be victimized by stereotypical ideas and opinions that are based in whole or in part by the extreme and not the norm .

The church I have read about in the media -- a church filled with divisiveness , a lack of tolerance for other ethnic groups , a church not focused on helping the downtrodden and less fortunate , a church filled with hostility -- does not remotely resemble the churches that I grew up around and have loved for more than 50 years .

Most , if not all , predominantly African-American church doors are open to all , not just to blacks , but to anyone who is seeking a spiritual home , guidance , support , direction , faith and a feeding of the soul in the purest sense . Many of us have worked with other organizations , different cultures and denominations believing that there is more to unite us than there is to divide us .

The African-American church I know is filled with programs designed to address the many ills that inflict our society : HIV/AIDS , homelessness , reducing the rate of recidivism , assisting with employment and job training , economic development and financial management classes , home buying seminars , food banks to feed the hungry , schools to educate and an active plan to guide our youth . Those outreaches have been colorblind , passionate depictions of Christ 's love for all humanity !

The predominantly African-American church may be founded by an African American , it may be led on Sunday by an African American , but as you look through the crowd of these beacons of hope and faith , you will see an increasing audience that is much more reflective of our world than many would have you to believe . White , black , Hispanic , Asian -- nationalities from all across the world come together -- some to visit our churches , to enjoy our music and ministers and still others are gradually starting to join our churches . Gradually race fades into the fabric of faith and becomes less central to the overarching core of human needs in general . Is it a perfect union ? Of course not . Is there work to do ? Absolutely ! But the core message is not one that enrages , but one that encourages people to change and grow , and any other depiction is distorted and inaccurate .

The Potter 's House , though largely African-American , is composed of 20 different nationalities and growing in diversity . It is designed much the same way Sen. BarackObama has built his campaign : on a strong commitment to reconciliation , the admonition for unity and strong desire for the continuation of diversity instead of exclusion .

While I have not endorsed any candidate , who can ignore the hunger of Americans for change ? No matter who your political choice may be , it is hard to remain ambivalent to the tone that Obama sounded , igniting a national response from people of all walks of life , crowding into stadiums openly weeping -- like they were in church -- at the very idea of a nation that reflects the best of our ideals ; not the divisive ranting and bickering that may drive up ratings but threaten the cannibalization of our dreams and the demolition of our hopes .

As a child , I grew up in a neighborhood back in West Virginia where blacks and whites helped each other in times of need and despair . Now that I am in Dallas , Texas , I have seen our city struggle to its feet in times of dire desperation . I was there when the buses came in to the Reunion Arena in Dallas loaded with mostly people of color who were hungry , weak and tired , and needing human dignity . They were unloaded -- covered with the stench of the atrocities of the superdome in New Orleans . I saw blacks , whites and Hispanics driving up with bags of clothes and food and crying together , trying to accommodate whomever they could , wherever they could . This is the America I want my grandson to grow up in .

I am wondering who will get the message that our nation 's citizens are by and large looking for a voice that will unite us , clothe our naked , feed the poor and help our diminishing middle class before we self-destruct like many great empires of the past . Who cares what color they are , what banner they fly , what gender they are , or how they pronounce their names ? This is a defining moment in our history , and we are about to destroy greatness with petty self - aggrandizing egotism !

I implore you to not take the words of a few and depict the thoughts , hearts and motives of many . At the end of the day , Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proved with his nonviolent approach that hate-filled words will not liberate anyone . To be sure , there is still work to do to defeat racism and to attain justice in our country for all . We continue to need someone who will hold us accountable to our best practices and not our worst . But there is no liberation without love , no prosperity without philanthropy and no hope if the church becomes immersed in the quagmire of pettiness .

As an American I plead with you that we are running out of time . It is critical that we dislodge ourselves from political distractions . We must return to the task of looking for the right man or woman who can answer the bloodcurdling cry of a nation that is in search of a leader with a courageous effective plan for the war in Iraq , and the medical , moral , economic and security issues that are being ignored by these distractions . If we do not , we will have done a terrible disservice to our coming generations .

The Bible said that while good men slept , evil ones came and planted tare , a noxious weed , among the wheat ! The tare of a hate-filled church image is a tactical distraction planted to divert our attention from choosing our next president . Let 's get back to listening for leadership strategies from our best and brightest before there is no country left to lead . My hope is that the church remains a vibrant part of our process , sounding the alarm that warns : America , please wake up out of our sleep ! E-mail to a friend

@highlight

Bishop T.D. Jakes says African-American churches have been portrayed negatively

@highlight

Hate-filled church image is distraction from task of choosing president , he says

@highlight

Minister : Sen. Barack Obama 's campaign built on a strong commitment to unity

@highlight

Jakes says the church and faith is colorblind